Poor graphics detract from fast-paced title
Product: Activision's Spider-Man 2 Price: $260 Pros: Engaging game, one the best yet on N-Gage platform, myriad of cheats and tricks available on the online forum Cons: Graphics on cinema sequences are poor
Activision's Spider-Man 2 on the Nokia N-Gage platform cannot compare with the Game Boy Advance SP or PlayStation versions.
However, I found it the most enjoyable of the 30 or so game titles available for the N-Gage gaming device.
The combination of story-driven action and dynamic web-slinging is hard to resist, even if you do not have a taste for superheroes.
Players take on the role of superhero Spider-Man, and can swing, web-sling and jump through four full-3D levels.
The N-Gage version is not quite as 3D and compelling as the PlayStation version, which lets you flip and swing through New York skyscrapers, where you feel like you are actually in the game. However, it still manages a fast-paced, engrossing - albeit slightly flimsy - plot that makes the game difficult to put down.
There are 15 additional 2D levels to combat a wide range of enemies, including the Lizard and Doc Ock that have their own unique attack moves. The game is advanced through a storytelling method that is revealed through 3D cut scenes that will inspire players to explore completely new 3D levels and hunt for power-ups, secrets and special items.
However, that is its weakest point - the graphics for the in-game cinema sequences are poor to average.
As most of the story is advanced using this method to help the player to get into the game, it was a big disappointment.
The facial expressions of the characters in these story sequences are stiff and limited. But this is not just Activision's failure. Nokia needs to build a hardware platform that is better able to support more realistic graphics.
While the game's plot does not follow the film's too closely, it is engrossing. The fighting system in Spider-Man 2 turns the experience into a complicated and endless button-mashing process.
However, particularly impressive is the way Spider-Man is able to evade - a tip you pick up in the online cheats forum - by pressing the dodge button, opening up your opponent for a counterattack.
This is important because Spider-Man cannot block, so you spend a lot of time dodging attacks. There are also many collectibles and various awards for completing challenges, all of which further help the replay factor.
Ultimately, while Spider-Man 2 is an enjoyable game, I'm not sure it justifies the $260 price tag.
